Tal 100RS incoming!

[Roy Challen]

53 minutes ago, Fozzie said:

I've read fabled camp fire stories of a Tal R, with the purple lense, being retro fitted with the new RS focuser and let loose in the wilds... I think a few on here have seen it, or even touched it!  By all accounts it's a beaut!

 

It would be easier to put the R lens cell onto the RS tube, rather than swapping focusers. The tube lengths are slightly different.

I was going to do this when I had both models, but my Dad really wanted the R, so he bought it from me and that was that.

[Blazar]

I am a bit of a TAL addict.....2 x 100RS and a fabled 100R still in its wooden crate with its mount and tripod...it does not come out very often though. it still has the old R&P focuser....and I can't bring myself to change it.  Congrats on the 100RS...they really are awesome bits of kit. Shame NPZ could not sort out the QA on some of the later models. 

[Chris]

1 minute ago, Blazar said:

I am a bit of a TAL addict.....2 x 100RS and a fabled 100R still in its wooden crate with its mount and tripod...it does not come out very often though. it still has the old R&P focuser....and I can't bring myself to change it.  Congrats on the 100RS...they really are awesome bits of kit. Shame NPZ could not sort out the QA on some of the later models. 

Wow 3 Tal's, that's impressive! Any advance on 3 Tal's anyone?

It twas a sad day when they ceased producion of the Tal RS. The successor in the long achro world seems to be the 4" f/11 badged Altair, TS, etc

[John]

I've owned 3 TAL 100's over a 16 year period. The best was the 1st one I had which was one of the early ones imported to this country in 1999. They are very good 4" achromats. I found the best of mine was as good as the Vixen SP102M that I'd previously owned. 

For me the "step up" from the TAL was a Skywatcher ED100, again an early one with a "blue tube" colour scheme.

I recall somewhere on the forum is a comparison between the TAL and one of the 102mm F/11 achros which puts the two pretty close with a slight edge to the slower scope I seem to recall.

I also got to try the TAL Apolar 125 6 element apochromat which was a very interesting scope for lots of reasons !

[spaceboy]

I think the Tal100 refractors sure does have some appeal about them. I'm not quite sure what it is I think it would offer me along side the ED120 but I just feel an urge to at least try one out before they all become donor scopes for PST's. Despite their reputation for superb optics it would appear sales were not that encourageable for manufacture to have now ceased. I'm actually shocked to see recent prices of £100 on ABS & £160 with a mount on ebay given these are no longer readily available. I may not have looked through one myself but I am well aware of those who have and there are few if any that have a bad word to say about them. Those few who have negative comments rarely complain of optical performance and reserve critique against the old 100R focuser or rough and roughed build quality alone.

Have there ever been any side by side comparisons with same focal length / aperture Synta achromatic scopes (not sure is there are any??) My guess the Tal would come out on top again, although Synta seems to have a large share of the astro market so I wonder if some of that money they are making is going back into improving optics? I know with recent releases they don't seem to stand still when it comes to mounts and reflectors or even top end ED refractors for that matter. Does any one know why production of the 100RS has ceased? They seem to still offer other TAL scopes.

[Alkaid]

Just a note Chris, Baader's universal finder bracket fits the TAL nicely and means that you can then use an RA finder.  Think you just need some M4 screws to fit it.

Looking forward to the pics!

[John]

1 hour ago, spaceboy said:

I think the Tal100 refractors sure does have some appeal about them. I'm not quite sure what it is I think it would offer me along side the ED120 but I just feel an urge to at least try one out before they all become donor scopes for PST's. Despite their reputation for superb optics it would appear sales were not that encourageable for manufacture to have now ceased. I'm actually shocked to see recent prices of £100 on ABS & £160 with a mount on ebay given these are no longer readily available. I may not have looked through one myself but I am well aware of those who have and there are few if any that have a bad word to say about them. Those few who have negative comments rarely complain of optical performance and reserve critique against the old 100R focuser or rough and roughed build quality alone.

Have there ever been any side by side comparisons with same focal length / aperture Synta achromatic scopes (not sure is there are any??) My guess the Tal would come out on top again, although Synta seems to have a large share of the astro market so I wonder if some of that money they are making is going back into improving optics? I know with recent releases they don't seem to stand still when it comes to mounts and reflectors or even top end ED refractors for that matter. Does any one know why production of the 100RS has ceased? They seem to still offer other TAL scopes.

I fairly recently bought a TAL 100 RT on the mount with a wooden tripod for around £120. Their prices are very low. I believe nightfisher (Jules) has compared the TAL 100 to the Skywatcher / Synta 4" F/10 achromat and found the TAL better at CA control and sharper.

The real expert on the forum about TAL is AndyH and he would know better than most about current production I would have thought.

I guess the achromat market might have been hit a bit by Synta's own low (relatively speaking) cost ED doublets. I've seen ED100's for as little as £200 for an optical tube and the optics in those can approach Takahashi performance.

[nightfisher]

Well remembered John, yes I did own the Syntra 102 f10 at same time as my Tal and have to say the Russian scope trounced the Chinese in all aspects 

[Chris]

3 hours ago, Alkaid said:

Just a note Chris, Baader's universal finder bracket fits the TAL nicely and means that you can then use an RA finder.  Think you just need some M4 screws to fit it.

Looking forward to the pics!

Thanks very much for the tip Steve, I was planning to wonder what to do about a finder after I'd finished wondering about a diagaonal  

[Chris]

2 hours ago, John said:

I fairly recently bought a TAL 100 RT on the mount with a wooden tripod for around £120. Their prices are very low. I believe nightfisher (Jules) has compared the TAL 100 to the Skywatcher / Synta 4" F/10 achromat and found the TAL better at CA control and sharper.

The real expert on the forum about TAL is AndyH and he would know better than most about current production I would have thought.

I guess the achromat market might have been hit a bit by Synta's own low (relatively speaking) cost ED doublets. I've seen ED100's for as little as £200 for an optical tube and the optics in those can approach Takahashi performance.

I think you've hit the nail on the head John, I've also seen C100ED's in the £200-250 mark, so second hand Tal's are kind of forced into a lower price bracket by this. Also Tal RS's were only 250 new compared with about 600 new for an ED100.

Utterly amazing what optics you can get for the money now days, I've also very recently picked up an 8" f/5 reflector in very nice condition for just £90 plus postage....90 quid for 8" of aperture!! 

[Chris]

I've been offered a Tal diagonal by a fellow SGLr, but neither of us have a clue about a price? cheap ebay thumb screw finders seem to be £10-15 new, the Tal is still a single thumb screw but probably quite a bit more solid in the build department so I'm guessing somewhere around £20 second hand??? Anyone have an opinion on a price please?

[nightfisher]

Worth up to £30 if in good condition, a good diagonal

 

[Chris]

32 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

Worth up to £30 if in good condition, a good diagonal

 

I see what you're saying Jules due to the build and that. I'm bearing in mind that you can get Dielectric brass compression ring diagonals for 40, so I'm not sure I'd go upto 30 on a single thumb screw diagonal with standard coatings? Hmmm? Might offer 20 something?  

[nightfisher]

The Tal 1.25 diagonal is a very good bit of kit, i used to swap between this and a Revelation Dialectrict thingy and could see no difference plus you can colimate the Tal one

[Roy Challen]

It also has a shorter light path than most mirror diagonals, although that may either be a help or a hindrance depending on the application.

[Chris]

23 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

The Tal 1.25 diagonal is a very good bit of kit, i used to swap between this and a Revelation Dialectrict thingy and could see no difference plus you can colimate the Tal one

 

13 minutes ago, Roy Challen said:

It also has a shorter light path than most mirror diagonals, although that may either be a help or a hindrance depending on the application.

Ok, thanks for the sound info chaps  It sounds like it's worth having. He's going to send me a pic or two later, so we can take it from there and see if we can come to a mutually happy agreement

[Skyline]

 Come on Chris, we want to see the scope

My scopes are breeding again.

I just picked up a pristine Omni xlt 150 with starbright xlt coatings and a stock white 2"  focuser for just £120. Including shipping.

[Chris]

44 minutes ago, Skyline said:

 Come on Chris, we want to see the scope

My scopes are breeding again.

I just picked up a pristine Omni xlt 150 with starbright xlt coatings and a stock white 2"  focuser for just £120. Including shipping.

So do I mate, the seller posted it today so I'll have it sometime after the weekend I'm guessing. 

Congrats on the OMNI, I don't know where you keep finding them as I never seem to see them on ABS? You're not alone either, my scopes have gone from zero to two in one week